stuck in a rickshaw

I was traveling in an under-developed country, sitting in a cute rickshaw, bouncing as I ride, watching the world go by.    It was nice in my travels, to get from one place to another without actually moving my feet. The canopy above me gave me a sense of security from the elements. I was grateful.

Soon another rickshaw drove closely along side us.  The drivers exchanged a few words, moments before our visiting rickshaw disappeared down a side street. Obviously there’s camaraderie amongst the drivers. I closed my eyes and relaxed into my ride.

Ten minutes later, I looked up to realize I was in unfamiliar surroundings.  Maybe the driver had passed by my destination. I called out to him, "Driver, are we lost?"

"No mame", he replied.  So I sat back.  Maybe we took a different route.  Five minutes later, with amplified concern, I called out to him again.   As before, he stated we were not lost.   Questioning, I looked at my driver.  He seemed to be running; not to or from a destination, just running.

Any normal person would have been swollen with fear and anger, yelling or even jumping from the rickshaw. But I'm not much of a yeller, and I was afraid of hurting myself from the fall. So I sat back and listened to my intuition.

"Do I feel in danger?" -- no.

"Do I think harm will come to me?" -- no

Listening to my intuition, I stepped out of my creeping fear and looked at my pilot. It was his fear. Something had happened and he was afraid.

We came to a stop at a large white institutional building. It was a hospital. He dropped the rickshaw and ran in.   I, of course, followed.

Ten minutes later, his beautiful baby was born. A larger-than-life smile replaced his face of worry.   Just as I relaxed into my rickshaw ride, I saw him relax into his role as a father.   I paid him for the entire trip to the hospital, thanked him for the ride, stepped outside and hailed another rickshaw. 

Copyright 2010 Yvonne Ramage